


Joy (is what you bring me)

by timid (taegedy)



Series: Affection [1]
Category: NCT (Band), NCT Dream
Genre: Ambiguous/Open Ending, Attempt at Humor, Chenle is extroverted, Fluff and Crack, Jisung is introverted, M/M, Strangers to Friends, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, and it's the cutest thing ever, and together they're cute af, blink and you miss it angst, everyone babies Jisung, everyone loves Chenle, everyone loves jisung, jisung is shy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-19
Updated: 2018-07-19
Packaged: 2019-06-05 18:54:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 13,553
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15177119
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/taegedy/pseuds/timid
Summary: For probably the first time that day, Jisung finally puts what he's feeling into actual words. He thinks that it must be the magic of the upcoming holidays that brought him a surprise in the form of a brown-haired boy who looks really adorable in over-sized clothing and holds the universe (and maybe Jisung's heart) at the palm of his (small) hands when he smiles.Or,Jisung meets Chenle under questionable circumstances.





	Joy (is what you bring me)

**Author's Note:**

> This was heavily (if not entirely), inspired by NCT Dream's 'Joy' MV. I got a sudden urge to write some fluffy chensung and this is the result. Just some minor things to keep in mind while you read: Although it won't be explicitly stated, the dreamies are living in the states, so they'll be speaking in English while also speaking informally with one another no matter the age difference (but jisung still uses honorifics when he feels like it lmao). 
> 
> Also, there will be other other nct members that will only be mentioned and that don't actually make any cameos/appearances. And yeah, I didn't get 'Joy' and 'Cherry Bomb' mixed up, I just felt like doing it like that :)
> 
> Lastly, I want to state that you can see this whole work as more platonic than romantic bc of the slightly ambiguous ending. I Promise there will be a follow-up work to properly wrap things up. 
> 
> Without further ado, pls accept this 13K monstrosity with love and care.

 

 

 

There's a lot of things Jisung knows he's capable of, things he knows that, without a doubt, he can accomplish with the outmost easiest of attempts and without breaking a sweat. For example, Jisung knows that when he's learning a new choreography in his after-school dance club, he'll have memorized and accomplished the choreography in about a day's worth or so no matter the difficulty or simplicity of it. Dancing is his forte and he thinks that if all his problems were dancing related, he would be a hell of a lot less stressed in his daily life. 

 

Sadly, in his case, his current problems can't be solved by locking himself up in his room and practicing a choreography until his mom or older brother are banging on his door to tell him that dinner is ready–he's already tried it. It just-it just doesn't work when it comes to matters pertaining a _certain_ someone.  

 

The root cause of his current dilemma is a person that goes by the name of Mark Lee and oh does Jisung regret befriending him various times in a day. Mark, his next-door neighbor, is the blinding force that's behind multiple instances wherein Jisung questioned his capabilities and more importantly, his sanity (or what little left of it he had). 

 

If Mark got a penny for every time he forced Jisung into a situation where the younger felt past overwhelmed, then Mark would be more than capable of appropriately bribing Jisung with cold, hard cash instead of outings ("they're **not** dates, hyung") to the coffee shop where Hyuck works as a barista at. 

 

"Are you even listening to me? _Hey_!" A low hiss interrupts Jisung's abrupt introspective look into his current situation, causing him to jolt in his spot and reflexively nod his head, feigning his attention on whatever Mark had been telling him while the younger had been lost in his thoughts. His eyes flitter from the slithers of sunlight sneaking past the closed blinds in his bedroom to the person that had called for his attention.  

 

There's an annoyingly familiar look in Mark's eyes as he stares deeply at the younger boy, so deep and knowing that it unnerves Jisung enough to look away from him and seek solace in the comfort of his room ( _to avoid looking at Mark_ , his mind supplies). 

 

Jisung realizes he's been staring uselessly into space for the entirety of the two minutes that had passed since Mark had burst into his room unannounced, not one to bother with formalities and demanding that Jisung join him and the rest of them (the rest of them being Jisung and Mark's group of friends) at the community center and that Jisung bring his pet rabbits with him.

 

For the younger boy, it hadn't been so much as complex to take in Mark's demands as it had been confusing, especially when he had required that the boy bring his pet rabbits–out of all things. Jisung's first order of business is to question why his rabbits are needed, and he doesn't mean to come off as hostile when he asks Mark but his rabbits are of importance to him and it's his business to know and decide what Mark needs them for.

 

Hence, Jisung's reason to feel like Mark is yet again, up to something unnecessary and that will only make Jisung question himself and reality. 

 

" Sungie, I told you not to worry right? Oreo and marshmallow aren't going to get hurt, if that's what's bothering you" Mark says, unbothered by the amount of reluctance in Jisung's body language as he walks over to the corner in Jisung's room where his rabbits are currently hopping around within their exercise pen.

 

Jisung doesn't believe in cages, especially not for rabbits. He usually lets them roam around his bunny-safe room but since he was cleaning it until a few moments ago, he had put them in the exercise pen. 

 

The younger boy doesn't say anything as he watches Mark greet his two rabbits with a certain tone that Jisung has heard him use only a handful of times. It's the type of voice Jisung has been the recipient of the majority of times he's heard Mark use that tone. It's when Jisung wakes up in the dead of the night to bitter memories and stray tears and he has no one to turn to but Mark. 

 

He presses his lips into a thin line as he watches his pets peer out the small bars of space and experimentally nibble on the small treat mark had procured from who knows where. He fights against the urge to roll his eyes. Leave it to Mark to butter up his bunnies in an attempt to persuade Jisung into giving in. 

 

It's not that he doesn't trust Mark or his friends around his rabbits, it's quite the opposite really because they're the first people Jisung always thinks of when he has to go visit his grandparents over the holidays and he needs his pets taken care of at his home while he's gone. Jisung knows how much his friends love oreo and marshmallow and how they would never intentionally do anything to harm them. 

 

So _no_ , Jisung isn't reluctant about bringing his rabbits along with him because of his friends. Jisung just wants to know  _why_ , why does Mark need his pets, especially around this time of year when it's too cold to be anywhere but in the safety and warmth of one's home. A couple of suspicions arise in his head, many of them consisting around the idea that Mark just wants to start getting his pets accustomed to his own room once more since Jisung will be off yet again to visit his grandparents over the holidays very soon. 

 

But Jisung knows his hyung too well to know Mark isn't anything if unexpected. 

 

" I was going to explain everything to you once we were in my car in order to not waste time but obviously, I won't get your blessing to use oreo and marshmallow if I don't tell you what's happening" Mark sighs out, moving away from his rabbits once they finish the small treat. Those pesky rays of sunlight peeking through the cracks in his closed blinds directly shine onto Mark's recently dyed hair, Jisung making the connection between his hair color to the dying remains of a fleeting sunset. 

 

Jisung blinks out of his thoughts, trying to focus on what Mark just said. 

 

 _Use_?

 

Now Jisung is really confused as to what exactly Mark needs his pets for. He scrunches his nose in confusion whilst staring at Mark, already bracing himself for whatever it is that's about to come out his friend's mouth. 

 

"Look, remember that song on my SoundCloud that blew up?" Mark begins, sitting down comfortably on the edge of Jisung's neatly made bed, the comforter rumpling and the mattress dipping under Mark's weight and movement. Jisung looks away from his hyung's expectant gaze and instead looks at the ugly cream color of his walls in order to try to look like he knows what song Mark is talking about.

 

His eyes skip past his collection of bottle caps nestled atop his study desk and wander mindlessly from his untouched packet of homework to the noticeable chipped indenture on the left side of his desk, complimentary of that one time a certain someone (Mark), tried to carve his initials with a pencil and not only ended up breaking said pencil in half, but doing more than some tiny carvings on Jisung's desk. 

 

Looking past his desk, Jisung goes back to blankly staring at the walls around them, their bland and dull color bringing the boy some useful thoughts. 

 

"The one about the long ass ride or the one about the sexual innuendo?" Jisung finally asks, unsure of which song his friend is referring to since both of the songs he mentioned blew up surprisingly fast and had been what catapulted Mark past his temporary sore spot as a SoundCloud newb and into the top tier where he was being noticed by bigger, more influential social media outlets and persons that could actually give him a way out of the SoundCloud dungeon. 

 

He looks away from the mysterious yellow stain on his otherwise clean walls in order to look at Mark, who sputters for a response, his fingers freezing from their relentless rhythm of tapping against his thighs as he seeks out Jisung's eyes. "for your information, it's the one about the haters and how do you know what a sexual innuendo even _is_?" Mark states indignant and Jisung instantly looks away from his narrowed eyes.

 

If he so much as utters out Jeno and Renjun's names, he knows he'll be in for a beating from the latter once Mark confronts them all about it. He can already feel his neck hurting from the ghost of Renjun's hands wringing it. 

 

"So why do you need me and my rabbits?" Jisung crosses his arms as he finally turns to face in his hyung's direction. Mark seems to relax as he fiddles with his hands. Jisung releases the breath that had been seemingly stuck in his ribcage, relieved that he narrowly escaped all sorts of trouble. 

 

"I'm going to make a music video for it and I want you guys in it, which brings in my requirement for you to bring your rabbits. Taeil hyung knows this dude whose cousin knows someone's sister that rents out a few animals for like, children's parties or things like that.

 

She agreed to let me rent her pets and I wanted to include oreo and marshmallow because they're cute and would fit in with the concept I've envisioned for my video" Mark says all at once, causing Jisung to look away from him before looking right back at him when he processes everything he's said, blinking owlishly at him with various thoughts ransacking his head. 

 

Sometimes Jisung wonders if Mark really is older than him because of the utter nonsense he says without so much as a stutter. 

 

"So you mean to say fluffy animals are what suit your concept for a song dedicated to your haters" Jisung pans out, giving Mark his best ' _are you serious_ ' face and Mark doesn't miss a beat as he nods confidently, grinning at the younger boy and seemingly brimming with excitement at the mention of his self-produced song. 

 

Jisung wants to say no. He wants to say no so bad that it physically makes him wince. He doesn't outright reject Mark though, something in him wavering and holding him back. 

 

Mark takes his silence as a moment of weakness.  

 

"It's going to be fun. C'mon sungie, _please_?" he says, drawing out the 'please' while giving Jisung  _that_  look, as in, the infamous look Mark gives everyone when he wants something and rejecting him isn't an option. So far, Hyuck has been the only person that's been able to refuse Mark even when he has _that_ look on his face that would put a puppy's eyes to shame. 

 

As usual, Jisung teeters between agreeing to his tomfoolery but he brings up his last ace in the hole, glancing towards his closed door and biting his bottom lip nervously. 

 

"I didn't sign up for this y'know? Gotta ask my mom first if I can go-"I already asked her. she said it's fine as long as you're back by curfew, which you will be" Mark interrupts him, promptly discarding the only excuse Jisung had thought he could use against him. Jisung would have had a fit right there and then if it weren't for Mark already moving about, getting ready to leave. 

 

Jisung is annoyed because Mark played him from the beginning, the former never really having had a say in what happens. 

 

"Fine. But you have to help me with oreo and chocolate's stuff" Jisung mutters, beginning to search around his clean room for some sneakers and a warm coat. He doesn't miss the elated grin Mark sends his way along with an unusually energetic nod. 

 

"Eskeetit!" Mark hoots out, making Jisung regret everything.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

According to the quick run down Mark gives Jisung in his car while he drives them both to the community center, not only had he roped the younger into his plans, but he had roped everyone else as well, everyone else being Donghyuck, Jeno, Renjun, and Jaemin. Exactly what they're going to be doing is still unclear but Mark only resorts to waxing rhetoric about how amazing the video was going to turn out.

 

Jisung would beg to differ about the obvious outcome of the quality of the video if it weren't for the child-like excitement lighting up his hyung's eyes every time he mentions the others involved in it. The truth is that although Jisung feels apprehensive about the whole thing, he'd much rather keep his mouth shut rather than to ruin his hyung's enthusiasm. 

 

No rocket scientist would be needed to point out how busy Mark has been with his senior year activities and his graduation hanging above their heads like a loaded gun because ("Hyung, are you still going to hang out with us after you graduate?", to which Mark had replied "I hope so"). His inclusion with his younger friends has been close to none these past few days with the exception of their barely alive group chat and even then, Mark only replies with dry and vague texts. 

 

Despite living next door to Mark, Jisung hasn't so much as seen a glimpse of his shorter hyung until today. He hadn't even known Mark had dyed his hair until today either and he's frankly surprised Mark would choose such a _soft_ color, the older boy usually going for darker hues. Jisung still likes his hair color nonetheless, and he thinks that if his mom ever gives him permission to dye his own hair, he'd probably dye his hair Mark's current color. 

 

Jisung would normally deny any argument about it but later, as they neared the community center nestled in the middle of a popular shopping center, he thought about how he abhors being at the brunt end of Mark's escapades but he supposes he can make an exemption to go along for the ride (no pun intended) this time.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It's only until they shuffle into the room Mark had managed to wheedle one of the workers, Johnny, into letting them use, that Jisung really regrets being dragged into this whole mess disguised as some kids fooling around with some camera equipment ("Where'd you get that camera from hyung? We all know you're job at that movie theatre doesn't pay enough for it". Mark had only given Jisung what he considers a _very_ suspicious smile). 

 

It hits him all at once when he sees his other hyungs horsing around with props taken from their part-time jobs without so much as giving a glance their way, too engrossed with taking selfies on Jaemin's Polaroid to notice the two boys plus the new additions to the total number of animals in the room ( _not including Hyuck_ , Jisung thinks).

 

He looks down at his pets nestled in the sling [carrier](http://www.waterloowellingtonblogs.org/upload/2018/04/25/i039pet-hands-free-reversible-small-dog-cat-sling-carrier-dog-bags-carrier-l-d1ac4252c9aab04b.jpg) he has on. The sling carrier was a gift from Mark and although Jisung denied crying about it, he does appreciate Mark's kindness.

 

Jisung doesn't bother to greet his friends, more focused on his pet rabbits as he looks around the large recreation room to choose a nice and comfortable spot to set up their exercise pen. Throughout his quiet search, he notices just how well prepared Mark is, various props and pieces of furniture strategically placed all around so that the room as a whole actually resembles a recording set, each corner looking to be completely different from the other. 

 

It's quite obvious to the young boy that his friend put in a lot of effort and pulled a lot of strings (as expected of Mark Lee) in order to make his vision a reality. 

 

He silently appraises the distinct themes each specific spot in the room tries to convey, like the corner on the right side of the room full of greenery and wherein a white desk has been decorated with green plants and yellow [tulips](https://i.pinimg.com/originals/3f/b2/2a/3fb22a9059e9bba50e64827d98a9cb5f.jpg). Or the spot right next to the small garden where there's a lone green vintage couch swamped in vintage cameras and [poloroids](https://i.pinimg.com/originals/ed/f2/79/edf2793c230f29c30134dfc7e45a24da.jpg) . 

 

Upon finally looking over at the left side of the room, his eyes nearly pop out of their sockets.

 

Two very obvious, very much real, farm animals greet him in the form of eating from a bucket of hay and appearing quite unbothered by the world around them. Jisung sputters as he looks at Mark, who's holding the exercise pen whilst gracing Jisung with a mischievous smile.

 

 _These_ are the animals he was gushing about earlier? A donkey wearing a red bow atop its head and a sheep with some red ribbon tied fancily around its neck?

 

Before Mark can begin to fill Jisung in though, an excited yell echoes throughout the large room, causing the boy to flinch ever so slightly. 

 

"Jisungie! I can't believe you're here" a familiar voice exclaims as a pair of arms delicately curl around his torso in a form of an affectionate hug. Jisung groans, partly in annoyance and the other part having trouble moving his sling carrier to the side where it won't be trapped in between Jaemin and him.

 

For a brief moment, he forgets about the donkey and the sheep, greeting his gathered friends instead as Mark sets up the pen a few feet away from the seemingly tame sheep. 

 

Jaemin continues to cling to him as if his life depends on it, smothering Jisung's face against his chest as he combs his fingers through his hair affectionately.

 

"Hi" Jisung tries to say, his voice coming out muffled due to Jaemin refusing to give him some leverage to even breathe.

 

Jaemin's familiar scent of the thrift shop he works at seems to be the only thing Jisung can smell at the moment and the younger boy wonders if his hyung just finished his shift. 

 

"Jae, you can play with him as much as you want later but we need to get filming right now" Mark instructs although his voice is drowned out by the others who restlessly voice their own thoughts and concerns, paying as much as a grain's worth of salt towards Mark. 

 

As Jaemin reluctantly lets him go, Jisung scurries over to Mark the first chance he gets, gently placing his rabbits within the pen while Mark puts in their litter box, toys, hay, and water. Jisung is only satisfied with the set up when Mark puts the finishing touches by putting in a new toy he bought for his rabbits. 

 

He feels himself being pulled back into yet another unforgiving hug by Jaemin, the tightness of Jaemin's hold intensified now that there's no danger of harming his rabbits. The older of the two boys all but crushes Jisung's back against his chest and snuggles his cheek against Jisung's. 

 

The taller of the two lets his hyung be, allowing Jaemin to start swaying them from side to side while talking to Jisung in that infamous baby voice everyone uses on him. 

 

"What did he bribe you with this time? Another date at the coffee shop?" Donhyuck asks Jisung, rolling his eyes in exasperation but the fond smile he bears anything but condescending. Mark makes an affronted sound at the same time Jisung vehemently tries to tell them they're **not** dates. It doesn't dawn on Jisung that Mark didn't bribe him with anything at all, Jisung having come to help out without his usual payments in the form of his favorite drink. 

 

Unfortunately, neither of the two boys gripes go heard due to the gradually increasing loudness coming from the others. 

 

"Whatever he promised, it must be something good since Jisung actually brought oreo and marshmallow" Renjun brings up from where he sits next to the exercise pen, already making heart eyes at Jisung's bunnies and smiling brightly down at them. 

 

Jisung manages to wrestle his way out of Jaemin's death grip and scampers over to his rabbits, ignoring Jaemin's brief look of hurt in favor of analyzing his pets behaviors. He had been worried from the start about their well-being since he knows it's in a rabbit's nature to easily be scared of almost anything but he sags in relief upon witnessing his precious pets going about their regular business and unaffected by the other animals. 

 

"They'll be okay Jisungie, the person that let us borrow burrito and fluffy said that they do really well around other animals," Jeno tells the younger male, patting his back in a reassuring manner and bringing up Jisung's initial surprise as he looks back at the donkey and sheep. 

 

"Burrito and fluffy?" He asks, his voice cracking from how high of a tone he uses, causing his friends to crack up. He pushes down his embarrassment as he waits for the teasing and the jokes to die down until someone can answer him. 

 

"I think their owner is pretty witty. Naming your pet donkey, burrito? It's brilliant" Donghyuck snorts out, being the only out of them all that's grinning from ear to ear as he lovingly scratches behind burrito's ear, the donkey in question merely batting his long eyelashes at Donghyuck. 

 

The silence that follows is enough to make Donghyuck sigh and roll his eyes once more. 

 

" I told y'all you should have taken Spanish with me!" He merely offers, making the majority of them shrug uselessly. Jisung guesses the donkey's name has got to be some kind of wordplay in Spanish or else Donghyuck wouldn't be bringing up the offered elective in their curriculum so randomly. 

 

"So it's not because a burrito is a Mexican dish?" Jeno brings up, his eyebrows furrowed in confusion as he looks at Donghyuck for an answer before glancing around at the others. Jisung merely shrugs, just as clueless as the rest of them when he meets Jeno's eyes. 

 

"No! It's because burrito means donkey in Spanish, so the direct translation of burrito's name would be donkey, the donkey" Donghyuck says, his answer only followed by a chorus of " _ohhh"_. The awkward silence that follows is enough to make Donghyuck scoff loudly.

 

"You guys are no fun! It's _funny_!" Donghyuck pats burrito's head sorrowfully as if apologizing to burrito for his friend's lack of humor. Jisung can't help the smile spreading on his face at the fact that Donghyuck brought the mood down instead of Jeno, for once. 

 

"Anyways, now that sungie and his bunnies are here, let's get started, yeah?" Mark claps softly, being cautious of oreo and marshmallow just a few feet to his right. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Did Jisung ever think a boy his age would ever be filmed while being chummy with a donkey, a lamb, and two rabbits? His question is as rhetorical as he is slowly yet surely becoming accustomed to the smell of burrito the donkey and fluffy the sheep. 

 

All throughout the "shooting", which consisted of Jaemin being the self-proclaimed cameraman and Mark watching everything play out by afar, Jisung had been forced to interact with burrito and fluffy to increase their chemistry on set before the time came for him to be filmed with the animals.

 

Jisung isn't going to lie, he actually enjoyed the several shoots Mark forced him to do with his pets and the rented animals. He thinks his favorite one was where he had to lay down on his [stomach](https://www.pinterest.co.uk/pin/427701295854997406/?lp=true), in between fluffy and burrito as he just played with marshmallow (oreo was sleeping).

 

He still doesn't get how Mark could possibly use his editing skills to make the results of their video match the message of his song. The motifs and visuals don't match up to Jisung and he knows a lanky and awkward kid like him doesn't give off those "dark and wild" vibes so many other, cooler, people give off effortlessly. 

 

To prove his point, all Jaemin had done while he recorded Jisung was just coo at him the entire time while the others had made sure to fix up his hair or adjust his clothing whenever he messed them up from moving around too much.

 

He's not bothered by it though since his personality is much more mellow and something like the color of a pale yellow. Jisung wouldn't be able to act "hard" even if it possessed his unsuspecting body–It's just not who he is. 

 

Now that he's done with being filmed and marshmallow is back in the exercise pen with oreo, he's brought it upon himself to keep burrito and fluffy company. He's already fed burrito about 5 carrots and showed off his new choreography that his dance club has been coming up with in time for a talent show coming up at school. 

 

With fluffy the sheep, Jisung had tried to copy her occasional bleat with his own and he had been quite surprised when fluffy would reciprocate his poor attempts at communicating with her. 

 

Jisung has to admit that all in all, burrito and fluffy are great companions. Both of them are quiet, love to be fed and love to be told that they're cute. They remind him a little of Yukhei's boyfriend that he's met once or twice and wouldn't mind meeting again. 

 

Fluffy nudges at the frozen hand he has atop her head, silently asking for him to continue petting her head, which he does. He's about to ask fluffy if she wants to see him do some popping but before he can even open his mouth, burrito gains his attention.

 

He had noticed earlier that burrito had been unusually still, not even bothering to eat from the bale of hay at their reach. Now, he notices that burrito is gradually becoming more and more restless, his legs shuffling and head swaying as if asking again and again for something he's not being given. 

 

This type of behavior is not something that sits well with Jisung so he clears his throat, looking around the room a bit nervously. 

 

"Uh guys?" Jisung is totally out of his element because he's never had a pet donkey before so he doesn't know whether burrito's behavior is unusual or not, not to mention he doesn't know how to soothe burrito. His friends come to him in a matter of seconds, almost immediately noticing burrito's sudden discomfort.

 

Jisung notices that the only person who could be of use at the moment is m.i.a. 

 

"Wait where's Mark?" he asks surprised, not seeing hide nor hair of the strawberry blonde. He feels his slight nervousness increase tenfold.  

 

"He and Hyuck left to go pick up this cake that Mark apparently ordered to be used in the video" Jaemin shrugs nonchalantly, going over to burrito to try to soothe him but failing almost instantly. Jisung fidgets in his spot, asking them to call Mark but all of them shaking their heads while explaining to him that Mark made them leave their phones at home in order for them to not be distracted. 

 

The mere mention of phones has Jisung internally panicking as he starts patting his own pockets in search of his own electronic but coming up empty-handed.

 

"Shit" Jisung mutters, receiving a smack on the back of his head for his language on behalf of Renjun.

 

He left his own phone at home as well. He can't believe he didn't notice any sooner. He supposes he was enjoying himself too much to even think about his phone like he normally would under any other given circumstance. He doesn't have time to panic about whether his mom had called him or not because burrito is getting progressively more...un-burrito like. 

 

For a brief moment, they all look at one another, unsure of what to actually do and the time ticking precariously in the background, counting down the seconds until they're in full-blown trouble. 

 

"Burrito's owner said that if they start acting up, just play any song by Westlife and they'll calm back down!" Renjun brings up, his face brightening at his sudden recollection of thought.  All he does is give them all the more reason to need their phones. As ludicrous as it sounds, Jisung would do anything to appease the poor donkey that's clearly having a tough time. 

 

Jisung thinks that whoever said that Mark Lee wouldn't be giving them problems today, their mom is a h-"Jisung, I saw a record store literally right in front of here. Try to either find a CD or tape from Westlife!" Jeno shoves some cash into Jisung's hands, pushing him impatiently towards the door as Jisung shoots a worried look over at his bunnies. 

 

"Oreo and marshmallow are going to be okay Jisung, just go get some Westlife music, and fast!" Renjun urges, making Jisung give once last worried glance over at his rabbits before he hurries out the room. 

 

He hadn't seen any sort of record store in his entire life of coming and going from the community center but if Jeno said there was one then who was Jisung to doubt? 

 

He fumbles with the buttons of his coat as he tries to cover up whilst exiting the community center, clumsy fingers making his life ten times harder than it has to be but eventually succeeding.

 

The crisp December air nips at his exposed skin and he ignores it in favor of looking for the shop Jeno had mentioned. Despite the frigid yet bearable temperature that makes his cheeks and hands sting from the coolness of the air, there are no signs of incoming snow. Jisung knows it's nearly impossible for snow to exist when he lives this deep in the South but he can't help but to wish that some chaotic force of nature bury the neighborhood in snow. It's been years since they even had a foot of snow and all Jisung wants is a snow day. 

 

His eyes roam the line of shops located right on the other side of the street and it doesn't take long to spot it directly in front of the community center.

 

Jisung thinks that this shop must have opened up recently since he knows from the bottom of his heart that there's never been a record shop here before, or else he and his friends would be heavy frequenters at said shop since Donghyuck adores vinyl records and 80s music. 

 

He scurries to the other side of the street, mindful of watching for oncoming cars and unable to feel guilty at the moment for jaywalking. 

 

Upon entering the shop, he shivers at the immediate change in temperature when he steps inside, his coat going from warm to stuffy in a matter of seconds to the point where he has to unbutton it. 

 

Any other day, Jisung would take his time to admire the inner layout and eye-pleasing decorations but he's a man on a mission so he skips the exploring for another day and tries to get to business, looking here and there and basically anywhere he can for some Westlife. 

 

Despite his determination, it takes Jisung exactly 3 minutes to give up on his mission because in the entirety of the 3 minutes he's been searching, he can't find the artists he's looking for and he can't find a single employee no matter how desperately he searches. It's not like the shop is devastatingly big either, maybe a couple hundred square feet by some more couple hundred square feet–what Jisung means is that he should be able to see someone because the shop is small enough for him to notice another person in his presence. 

 

Jisung finds himself walking straight towards the exit, his mission be damned. Instead of wasting time, Jisung thinks it’s best to go back and tell everyone he couldn’t find anything. 

 

Except, the mere thought of going back to the community center where the rest of his friends are waiting for him to bring something back makes Jisung turn around from the exit and once again, search for an employee who knows where everything is located rather than mindlessly waste his time searching for something virtually impossible to find. 

 

He huffs, impatience and uneasiness coursing through his veins the longer he looks around. " _Really?_ " He breathes out, clenching and unclenching his fists out of habit. He runs his hands through his past messy hair in an attempt to calm down.

 

Briefly, he wonders how his friends are dealing with burrito back at the community center. He can already imagine the lengths they'll go through to try to appease burrito. 

 

As his eyes flitter around the small store, a sudden movement catches his eyes. He pauses in his restless wandering as he sees a mop of coffee colored hair pop out from behind the counter of the cash register, easily noticeable due to the fact that there's nothing but a cash register and a glass bowl full of pins keeping Jisung from noticing the head he hadn't seen before. 

 

There's some grumbling coming from over there and Jisung doesn't waste a second as he rushes over, ready to beg if he has to for some assistance yet the closer he gets to the mysterious head of hair, the more nervous he becomes. His movements slow slightly, eyes darting from the mop of hair peeking over the counter and the slightly creaky wooden floor. 

 

"Excuse me, can you help me look for anything by Westlife, please?" Jisung mutters under his breath, practicing the simple request because he has a habit of going completely blank whenever he has to order something or ask for something at a store. He swallows a thick lump in his throat and anxiously wipes his damp palms against his jeans, trying to at least appear like he's not a nervous wreck. 

 

He edges closer and closer to the counter, taking in a deep breath before forcing himself to get it over with already. 

 

"E-Excuse me, can you help me..." his hoarse voice dies in his throat as he stares wide-eyed at the face now staring back at him blankly. It's not an older employee like he was expecting, in fact, it's a kid that seems to be around his age range, not to mention it's an Asian kid.

 

Having lived in a predominately white neighborhood his entire life, Jisung has grown quite used to seeing few Asian people around except for, of course, the occasional tourists that frequent around their suburban neighborhood during the summer and winter holidays. 

 

He's a little taken back that somehow, in some way, the boy in front of him managed to find his way to Jisung's barely diverse neighborhood. 

 

Both boys stare at each other in silence, each one silently appraising the other. Jisung fidgets with his hands as the other boy starts rubbing at his eyes tiredly, looking as if he just woke up from a nap due to the highly noticeable cowlick gracing his tousled hair. He soon yawns loudly, unabashed and unbothered by Jisung's presence as he smacks his lips and stretches. 

 

Slowly, a soft and sleepy smile graces the boy's lips as his puffy eyes meet Jisung's. 

 

"Hi" the boy greets, tiny hints of shyness overlying in his dulcet tones and the beginnings of a rosy hue forming on his full cheeks. Jisung jolts out of his blank stupor, looking away from the warm eyes trained on his and looking anywhere but at the boy in front of him, his nervousness multiplying tenfold. 

 

He's always been awkward for his age, and even more so around other people his age. His friends are no help when it comes to his social skills (or lack thereof), only imitating his flimsy mannerisms and habits instead of giving him tips and tricks into overcoming his anxiousness towards socializing. His friends tell him that Jisung acts the way he does because he's stuck between his childish behavior and his developing maturity, right smack in the middle where the lines between the two get blurred. 

 

In other words, they think it's because he's going through puberty but he knows his body better than they do. He knows it's not puberty. Jisung has been awkward since before he hit his growth spurt and his voice started playing games on him. 

 

"Hi" Jisung parrots back, finally gaining a slither of courage to look at the boy once more and almost immediately regretting doing so upon meeting the boy's unnaturally warm eyes. He swears he can see about a million and one stars in them and how his eye color resembles his favorite drink in the whole wide world, hot chocolate. 

 

The temperature in the room spikes all of a sudden and Jisung shifts from foot to foot, uncomfortably aware of his steadily increasing heartbeat and dampening palms. His thoughts become jumbled and he feels like everything has gone so silent that he can even hear the boy across from him breathing in and out, in and out, unaffected and un-assuming of what's going on inside Jisung's head. 

 

"I really like your hair. Is it just some spray-on or did you actually dye it?" the boy asks as he leans forward on the counter in order to take a better look at Jisung's temporarily dark blue colored hair. He cradles his face in his hands as he supports his upper torso on his elbows, effectively emphasizing how round his cheeks are. His curious eyes wonder over Jisung's now messy fringe and Jisung runs his hands through it in order to calm his nerves. 

 

"Uhm, yeah. It's just some spray-on. My mom would kill me if I actually dyed my hair this color" Jisung utters out, his hand dropping limply at his side, watching as the boy giggles at his response. _Giggles_. Jisung didn't even know the word existed until now. He thinks he likes the sound of his giggling. He also thinks he really likes how well his hair matches his glittery eyes and–Jisung takes in a deep breath and holds it in for exactly five seconds before slowly exhaling.

 

"I dyed my hair purple once. My mom went ballistic because I lied to her, saying that I'd only dye it brown" the nameless boy shares comfortably, the apparent shyness from earlier slowly ebbing away like the tide on a beach. 

 

"Oh, uh, cool" Jisung clings onto his arm with his hand, breaking eye contact with the boy in order to study his beat up converse intensely. He doesn't know what to say, or rather, he feels too timid to say what he wants to say, scared of saying the wrong thing and offending the other boy or something. 

 

"I got grounded for like, two weeks. Can you believe it? All because I wanted some purple hair to match with this really cool shirt someone gave me for my birthday" the boy continues, seemingly oblivious to Jisung's slowly dying confidence, powering through their conversation and dragging it out of the hole it was headed in. 

 

Jisung perks his head up, the tips of his ears unnaturally warm as he grips his arm tighter. He dares a glance at the boy, watching as he brings out his phone and starts flipping through it with his nose slightly scrunched and his eyebrows furrowed in concentration until his facial features turn into something of elation. 

 

"See? My cousin went to Disney land and he brought me back a shirt from there so I just wanted to match my hair with my shirt" He excitedly shows Jisung a picture taken of him wearing a soft purple long sleeve as well as sporting an amazingly soft color of purple on his hair.

 

There's a big, unwavering smile on his face and raw happiness oozing out of his twinkling eyes. He doesn't fail to notice just how big the shirt is on the boy in the picture, the size of it practically engulfing his entire torso and giving the boy the most obvious set of sweater paws Jisung has ever laid eyes on.

 

Jisung wants to tell him that despite the trouble he got into, dying his hair that color was definitely worth it if the look on the boy's face is anything to go by. Instead, he gives the boy a tight-lipped smile and silent nod, looking away almost immediately when the boy's smile falters. 

 

"Oh god, I'm so sorry! You probably need something and I've been forcing you to talk with me this whole time!" the boy exclaims, his voice uncharacteristically loud for his soft appearance. Jisung jolts in place, his eyes widening slightly as he remembers the reason he's here. 

 

"N-no, it's fine. I just, I uhm, I wanted to know if you guys have anything by Westlife" he mumbles out, his eyesight gradually dropping from the boy's gaze and down to his shoes. 

 

"Westlife? Seriously? Dude, I love Westlife!" the boy exclaims, and before Jisung knows it, the boy is gone from his spot behind the counter and now in very close proximity to him. 

 

Now that his lower torso isn't hidden by the counter, Jisung notes that the boy is a bit smaller than him by a few inches and that he's dressed in some preppy [clothes](https://i1.wp.com/www.whatthekpop.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/mark_jisung_mark_mark_nct_nct-dream_1512964202_1.jpg?resize=635%2C424) (no one wears plaid pants _and_ a matching plaid shirt unless they go to some elitist school of some sort or they're a hippie, Jisung thinks). There are several pins placed in random spots on his sweater vest, familiar cartoon shows and 90s animes giving Jisung a peek of the boy's interests. 

 

The boy bounces on his heels as he looks at Jisung with a look on his face that Jisung can only label as elated. 

 

"What's your favorite album? Favorite song?" the boy asks, peering up at Jisung with the widest, most thrilled eyes Jisung has seen, effectively de-throning Mark's infamous puppy eyes in Jisung's list of _things that make him wanna give them the world_. 

 

He feels bad that he knows virtually nothing about the band other than the fact that they have that one song everyone knows. He nibbles on his lips as he shuffles a bit in his spot, glancing around the shop. 

 

"I don't have...a favorite song or album," he says quietly, refusing to meet the boy's eyes anymore as he stares at the smallest denture above the boy's right cheek, not a dimple but something just as charming as one. 

 

"Me neither! But I'd have to say I enjoy listening to their album _Face to face_  more than any other album" the boy chatters amicably, not a hint of discomfort showing on his easily readable facial expressions. "Ah!" the boy all of a sudden exclaims, making Jisung startle as he takes a step back, still not used to how vocal the boy can be when he chooses to be.

 

It actually amazes Jisung a bit, at how the boy's vocal range can go from calm and lilting to full blown loud. 

 

"I never told you my name. I'm Chenle! I just moved here from Shanghai and my brother opened up this music shop so I've been helping him with cash register duty but no one ever comes here–" the boy abruptly stops in the middle of his rant, his cheeks growing an alarming and vibrant pink that reaches all the way up to his ears. Jisung tries to ignore his thoughts on how well the color suits him and how pretty he blushes.

 

Jisung thinks he's an ugly blusher himself, wherein his entire face goes an ugly shade of tomato red that reaches his hairline all the way to his neck. 

 

"I'm sorry, I did it again. My brother is always telling me how I always talk too much and that I'm too...noisy" he drops his tone, its appealing sugary timbre virtually impossible to hear. Jisung actually has to lean slightly forward to hear him speak. He didn't even notice the boy was rambling. 

 

"I don't mind and hi, it's nice to meet you. My name is Jisung" he tries to smile, he can feel his lips turning upwards and his face turning impossibly hot but he fights past the timidness holding him back, trying his hardest to appear amicable. 

 

In reality, Jisung wants to tell the boy, _Chenle_ , that he appreciates that he's talkative. It helps cover the lack of conversation on Jisung's part and it makes him feel more comfortable. Unfortunately, his tongue is tied and he's used up all his courage. 

 

Chenle instantly brightens upon hearing Jisung reassure him and the latter thinks that it's literally like seeing the sun come up from hiding in the clouds. The music playing in the shop fills in the seconds of silence for them, its grainy and slightly terrible quality giving Jisung some time to breathe. 

 

"Hi" Chenle whispers, this time looking quite shy himself as he looks down at his Oxfords, wiggling his feet as he bites down on his bottom lip. 

 

Jisung swallows hard as he drops his arm to the side, feeling the biggest sense of Deja vu. 

 

"Hi" Jisung utters out, this time finally gaining the last bits of emergency courage stored deep within his gut as he feels a small smile form on his face, Chenle reciprocating it with a lopsided smile of his own. 

 

"So, let's go look for some Westlife. Follow me" Chenle motions with his hands for the taller male to follow him before turning around and going off towards the very back of the shop. Jisung trails after him, flexing his hands whilst cracking his fingers, yet another nervous tick he can't seem to get rid of. 

 

He doesn't say anything, merely looking around the shop, noticing how the purple walls have shelves that showcase Micheal Jackson vinyl records, effortlessly giving off that retro look that many other record shops try too hard to convey. The wooden floor continues to creak under their weight and the deeper they head towards the back, the stronger the scent of old records becomes. 

 

"Uhm...isn't your brother going to get mad if you're not at the register?" Jisung mumbles, his voice barely heard due to the music playing from somewhere in the corner of the shop. Chenle turns his head to face Jisung, his smile seemingly permanent on his face as he shakes his head, the noticeable cow-lick swaying along to the movement of his head. 

 

"Like I mentioned earlier, no one ever comes here. I was literally taking a nap before I heard you walking around" He supplies before turning back around. Now Jisung understands why he hadn't seen anyone when he first popped in and why Chenle's eyes still have a slight droop to them. 

 

"Since when has your brother been having his shop open?" Jisung asks meekly, surprised at himself for actually initiating a conversation.

 

"Uhm since a few days ago. But I think we haven't had any customers because we're not officially open yet" Chenle says, confusing Jisung but before he can ask Chenle to explain, the shorter male comes to a halt in front of a row of CD's and starts expertly flipping through the various albums. Jisung watches in amazement at how easily Chenle fishes out an album in a matter of seconds, his bright smile only spurring Jisung on as he voices his amazement. 

 

"Are you okay with this album?" Chenle comes near him, causing all the elation to flee from his body. He feels as if someone just paused the music, everything now extremely palpable to the point where he can hear both of them breathing. 

 

With Chenle being up close and personal, Jisung can see the tiny details on him that he wouldn't have seen otherwise, like the small moles on both his ears. He also doesn't fail to notice how impeccably smoothe and soft his cheeks look to the touch, peach fuzz now visible due to their proximity and them standing under a lone light bulb hanging low from the ceiling. 

 

"Uhm yeah, burrito's owner said anything by Westlife was fine" Jisung's mind supplies, out loud to a now very intrigued and confused Chenle who stares at Jisung in interest. "Burrito? Who's burrito?" Chenle asks, his eyes growing wider and his gaze expectant as Jisung feels himself clamming up at the sudden un-divided attention. 

 

"Uh, y'see, burrito is a donkey ("donkey?!" Chenle whispers, astonished) my friend is borrowing to film for this music video he's making but burrito is getting a little antsy so I came here to...look for some Westlife...since burrito likes them" Jisung wants to facepalm. Just hearing himself explain the situation doesn't make him sound any less of a weirdo. 

 

Despite all odds of his new acquaintance giving him _that_ look (the look most people give Jisung when they get tired of being around him), Chenle merely goes starry-eyed as his mouth drops open. "A music video? That's so cool! Not to mention you have a donkey?! Oh my god where are you guys even filming this?" Chenle squirms with amazement, his body unable to stay still as he fidgets all over the place and makes Jisung feel weird. 

 

There had been high expectations in that he had believed Chenle would call him something along the lines of "weird" because really, who rents a donkey for a music video except for, of course, Mark Lee. So he feels like he's supposed to feel surprised that Chenle is genuinely interested in his activities. He can already feel his face going all red and blotchy. 

 

"My friends and I are filming over at the community center...and it's not just burrito. There's a sheep and I brought my pet bunnies too" Jisung mumbles, his heart racing and hands shaking. He can't believe he's just blurting out revelation after revelation. 

 

Chenle's jaw drops as he gasps, the CD he has in his hands almost dropping. 

 

"That's awesome! You have pet bunnies, oh my god that's so cute" He exclaims, practically bouncing in place as he hands Jisung the CD, who stares back at Chenle is confusion. Jisung tries not to think about how it's the first time someone (other than his friends) thinks the idea of him having pet rabbits is cute. 

 

"Here, it's on the house since you're obviously in a crisis" Chenle chirps out, his eyes becoming like shining diamonds and his smile a little too much for Jisung to handle on a cold Sunday morning. 

 

Now it's Jisung's turn for his jaw to drop as he instantly begins to shake his head.

 

"It's fine. It doesn't cost much at all so I might as well pay" He begins riffling his coat pockets for the cash Jeno had given him but Chenle shakes his head affirmatively. 

 

"It's like you say, it's super cheap. A couple of cents missing won't bother my brother. You have no idea how many times he takes some of these records home with him and they're more expensive" Chenle says, his eyes twinkling like the night sky and making Jisung feel a little breathless. 

 

He wonders why Chenle is so nice even though Jisung is so...quiet and awkward. 

 

"I..uh, thanks" He doesn't know what else to say and hopes Chenle can understand his gratitude through the small smile he sends his way. 

 

He gives a curt goodbye to the shorter boy and turns towards the exit. Though the closer he gets to the exit, the more something tugs at his conscious. He feels as if he shouldn't just leave it like that and if he steps out the door right at that moment, he won't see Chenle ever again. He remembers how interested and ecstatic the brown-haired boy had looked when he had mentioned his reason for visiting the record shop and his heart squeezes painfully tight. 

 

Jisung abruptly turns around right as he reaches the exit, looking directly at Chenle who looks back at him a bit surprised. 

 

"Do you wanna...do you wanna come and meet my bunnies and burrito?" Jisung utters out, his heart nearly leaping out of his chest and his hopefulness palpable. He tries to overlook the tiny voice in the back of his head that had been on the verge of asking _Do you wanna come hang out with me?_  

 

If Chenle outright rejects him, there's no doubt Jisung is going to feel embarrassed beyond relief. He doesn't even know why he's inviting him, he barely knows Chenle and vice-versa. The more Jisung wallows in his panic-induced thoughts, the bigger his anxiousness grows and his grip tightens on the CD album he holds in both his hands, the plastic case squeaking out protests to an un-hearing Jisung. 

 

Chenle lights up like a Christmas tree, his answer already apparent even though he hasn't even said anything. Jisung only regrets not having asked him sooner. 

 

"Yes oh my god _yes_! Can you wait for me? I just need to go tell me brother imma go" Chenle asks, already running off towards the back of the store once more before Jisung can even utter out a response. 

 

Jisung breathes out a sigh of relief, his body losing its rigidness as he relaxes. 

 

He finally takes the time to look around, noticing how the purple walls don't have any decorations, the shelves stocked with vinyl albums doing the decorating for them. As his eyes wander through the rows of alphabetized music, he thinks about how Renjun is going to be over the moon with happiness when he finds out Chenle and him share the same nationality. 

 

He looks away from the records and focuses on a stray coin on the ground, reminding him of the free CD album in his hands. He wonders if Chenle is currently getting in trouble for letting a customer get away from paying the minuscule fee. 

 

Chenle comes running back to him in record time, the smile on his face yet again giving away his answer before he's said anything. He shrugs on a coat while he runs over to Jisung, the extreme size of it engulfing his petite body and reminding Jisung of the picture he had shown him earlier where the Disney shirt had also seemingly swallowed up his entire torso. 

 

Jisung wonders if Chenle likes oversized clothes but doesn't make to ask as he exits the shop with Chenle chattering away at his side, firing away questions regarding Jisung's rabbits and in which Jisung, for once, confidently albeit shyly, answers. 

 

The pair crosses the street carefully before following the taller into the Community center, nearly getting run over when Chenle slips on a patch of ice on the road and Jisung yanking him to the safety of the sidewalk just in time. 

 

They sneak past the sign-in area where all newcomers are supposed to sign up and required to pay a small fee for access to the community center's resources. Jisung makes use of the current worker's blindspots, sneaking Chenle past Johnny and both of them breaking out into a full sprint the moment Jisung sees Johnny get suspicious of the shadows lurking about. 

 

Chenle laughs all throughout their brief run, looking so lively and exuberant that Jisung has to squint in order to differentiate between him and the sun. He's so awestruck at how care-free he feels at the moment as if he could keep running with Chenle forever. He thinks that he hasn't felt this relaxed and giddy in a while. He thinks he really likes this feeling, whatever the feeling is anyway. 

 

"We're here...I just wanna say that my friends are a bit...intense at times" Jisung says as he comes to a halt in front of the room Mark had wheedled Johnny into letting them use without adult supervision ("What did you bribe him with hyung?", and Mark had muttered something about giving Johnny someone's kakaotalk ID. Jisung had only known better than to question Mark any further than that).

 

Chenle only gives a breathless laugh in return, hunching down on his knees to catch his breath. The pink flush on his face is back and Jisung has a hard time looking away from it. 

 

"So am I. You sure they won't mind me just barging in?" Chenle brings up once more, to which Jisung shakes his head stiffly. He has a feeling his friends are going to get along really well with Chenle. They all have similar dispositions at least, to Jisung's knowledge of the brief and subtle glimpses he had seen of Chenle's personality while in the record shop, anyway. 

 

"C'mon" Jisung says as he leads them in and gently closes the door behind them, fixing his gaze upon the immediate sight they're greeted with. In retrospect, he should have just straight up told Chenle his friends are all weird. 

 

All of them are gathered around burrito, doing an obviously terrible acapella of some Westlife song. There's various cracking of voices due to their inability to reach certain notes, not to mention none of his friends would know how to harmonize even if it hit them on their thick heads with heavy bricks. The good thing out of the whole mess that he sees is that Mark and Donghyuck are back, both of them arguing in the middle of whatever _that_ is.  

 

Chenle bursts out in a fit of giggles, covering his mouth with his hand in order to not be rude and Jisung kind of wants to tell him that he doesn't need to cover up his laughter. He wouldn't be hurting anyone's feelings, certainly not his friends who do this sort of stuff daily without so much as thinking about how they must look like to onlookers. 

 

"Uhm, I brought the CD...and a...friend" Jisung calls out, instantly gathering everyone's attention as the majority of them instantly pause in their ridiculous charades and run over to him while Donghyuck stays back with burrito. The distance between him and Jisung doesn't discourage him from speaking though, his eyes getting a mischievous twinkle in them and his lips turning into an all too familiar smirk that has Jisung on alert.  

 

"Jisung? Making a friend? I guess Christmas does bring miracles" Donghyuck yells from where he is, making Jisung throw him a look entirely directed towards him while the others introduce themselves to Chenle.

 

Unfortunately, he doesn't get to stick around to provide an explanation as to why he brought along someone they've never met before nor does he get to shoot back some sarcastic words to Donghyuck because Mark drags him away from the others and leads them over to the ancient CD player looking thing that Jisung had thought was meant to be a prop.

 

"Oh god, you brought it just in time. I really thought everything was going to go to shit in a few seconds" Mark gives Jisung **the** smile, as in, _the_ smile that apologizes on behalf of everything that went wrong and makes Jisung accept it wordlessly without so much as a blink of an eye. He won't admit it verbally but he knows he's just as susceptible to _the_ smile as he is with _the_ eyes Mark always uses against him. 

 

Jisung is a weak boy and Mark knows just how well to take advantage of him, sadly. 

 

Before he can answer, Westlife starts blasting out the mediocre music player, startling Jisung as he unconsciously clings onto Mark for a brief moment before letting go just as quickly. They both turn to look at burrito, who's head starts swaying from side to side to the beat of the music. His body language reads that he's finally at peace and Jisung couldn't be happier. 

 

The atmosphere that had been full of tension dissipates almost instantly, being replaced by something considerably lighter and warmer. 

 

Earlier, when burrito had begun getting antsy, Jisung really thought they were in for some big trouble. He silently thanks Westlife for not only being an escape for people but donkeys too.

 

For a brief moment, he thinks that he's a lot like burrito in a sense because he too, resorts to music when he's feeling a bit too anxious. He listens and dances to music in order to de-stress or find a solution to something that's bothering him. 

 

He turns to look at Mark, thinking back to what he said before he had been startled by the loudness of the music. 

 

"Yeah, Chenle said it's on the house because I told him about the situation" Jisung scratches the back of his head as he turns to glance over at the said boy, noticing just how well he's already getting along with the rest of them. He can't help but smile at the way Chenle is already laughing in a _very_ surprised Jeno's direction. His friend probably unleashed yet another cringe joke and maybe, by the looks of his friends' faces, Chenle actually found it quite funny. 

 

"Wait for what?" Mark does a double take, his eyes going wide as they silently ask Jisung for an explanation, finally taking notice that Jisung brought back more than just a CD, staring at Chenle for a few moments before looking at Jisung with raised eyebrows.  

 

“Oh uhm, so Chenle’s brother is the owner of the music store that just opened up. He just moved here a few weeks ago from Shanghai” Jisung provides as his eyes wander back over to Chenle who’s been lead over to burrito, entirely entranced by him, complimenting his hairdo and listening intently to whatever Donghyuck is telling him about burrito.

 

The rest of his friends seem to be just as interested in Chenle if the endeared smiles on their faces are anything to go by. They keep conversing with him and every few seconds, Chenle will burst out into laughter and nearly topple over from how hard he laughs. Jeno looks quite proud of himself to be the cause of Chenle's hysterics.

 

“Shanghai?!” Mark repeats, seemingly amazed at Chenle’s nationality.

 

“ Yeah, It’s pretty cool his brother happened to open up his shop around here” Jisung adds, still watching as Chenle moves on from burrito to fluffy, getting down on his expensive-looking pants and giving fluffy the exact same attention and enthusiasm he gave burrito. Jisung dully notes that the boy's hair looks softer than fluffy's wool, and that says a lot because of Jisung having tested out the texture of fluffy back when they were shooting and had deemed her wool the fluffiest and softest stuff out there. 

 

“That's really awesome. I'm so happy you made a friend” Mark mutters, cracking a smile as he reaches over to ruffle Jisung's hair, no doubt feeling like a father who's watched his son grow up before his eyes. Jisung rolls his own eyes, softly nudging Mark's hand away. 

 

Honestly, Jisung doesn't think he's Chenle's friend. He finds the distinction clear between acquaintances and friends and he knows where he puts himself and where he stands. 

 

"Wahh you were right about burrito liking Westlife! We totally bonded just now over _Uptown Girl_! Jisungie, where are your rabbits?" Chenle comes trotting over, his voice bright and whimsical like that of a child in a candy store. Jisung can't help the small smile that spreads on his face and he thinks that it's literally impossible to _not_ reciprocate Chenle's good mood. 

 

"Uh" Jisung murmurs, not knowing what's more obvious, his shaking voice or shaking hands. Mark snickers beside him and Jisung has to hold back the urge to wipe his smile off his face. Jisung doesn't know what's so funny to Mark. He can't afford to think about it though since Chenle calling him "Jisungie" is the only thing he'll think about for the rest of the day.

 

Chenle only grins as Jisung tries to recollect himself, giving him a moment and instead, introducing himself to Mark. 

 

" Hello, I'm Chenle. I moved from Shanghai a few weeks ago and my big brother recently opened up a music shop and that's where I met Jisung. He told me you're the one who did all of _this_. I think you're pretty awesome. " Chenle says, admiration clear in the way he stares at Mark with wide, amazed eyes. 

 

 _Cute_ , is all Jisung's mind supplies before it sort of just...blanks out. 

 

Mark goes wide-eyed, well, at least more so than usual as he slowly points a finger at himself. "You think... _I'm_ awesome?" Mark ends his question with a snort at the end. Jisung wonders if Jaemin or Hyuck told Chenle to compliment a currently flustered Mark. He glances over to where his friends are gathered around burrito and fluffy, petting and cooing over them. 

 

He feels his eyebrows raise in surprise because _wow_ , Chenle genuinely thinks Mark is cool. That's a first. 

 

"Yeah, I mean, no person who puts so much effort into a video is lame in my book–wait, why do you look so surprised?" Chenle leans a bit forward towards Mark, his eyebrows furrowing and smile disappearing, seeming to be truly concerned at Mark's reaction. 

 

Now it's Jisung's turn to snicker, momentarily forgetting the hard to ignore butterflies in his tummy and clearing his throat in order to get Chenle's attention. 

 

"You broke Mark. He doesn't get compliments often, especially not from us. Let's give him a moment" Jisung feels his smile widen and his eyes slightly scrunch up, truly amused at how Chenle managed to fluster a nearly impossible to fluster Mark. 

 

The brown-haired boy looks from a frozen Mark to Jisung, tilting his head in concern and silently asking Jisung if it's really alright to leave Mark like that. 

 

"C'mon, I said I was gonna show you oreo and marshmallow right?" Jisung tilts his own head towards where his rabbits are in their exercise pen, completely chill and oblivious to the mess around them.

 

At the mere mention of his rabbits, the shorter boy instantly brightens, facial features morphing from concern to contentment. Jisung watches in amusement as Chenle jumps up and down and screams a bit, saying something in gibberish, completely forgetting about his worry for Mark. 

 

He watches as the smaller boy hurries over to the exercise pen, hair bouncing slightly and earnestness painted all over his face into something that makes Jisung stand still for a moment, just watching as Chenle turns to look at him once he arrives at the pen, grinning from ear to ear and waiting for Jisung to snap out of whatever he's going through. 

 

For probably the first time that day, Jisung finally puts what he's feeling into actual words. He thinks that it must be the magic of the upcoming holidays that brought him a surprise in the form of a brown-haired boy who looks really adorable in over-sized clothing and holds the universe (and maybe Jisung's heart) at the palm of his (small) hands when he smiles.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It's not long until burrito and fluffy's owner comes to pick them up, their allotted time to rent the two animals over, that Jisung kind of...feels a certain sense of urgency settle onto him. Mark thinks it's a good time to wrap things up. Jisung thinks he kind of really wants to keep seeing Chenle after today, maybe everyday–but only if Chenle wants to of course. 

 

Throughout their cleanup, while Chenle is screaming ("It wouldn't do my boys Westlife any justice if I don't scream") at the top of his lungs to _My Love_ and eating the remnants of the cake used as a prop ("I'm helping you guys get rid of the cake, so that counts as cleaning up, right?"), Jisung works up the nerve to ask the boy for his number. He practices how he’ll ask him in his head and runs little simulations, occasionally murmuring his responses out loud and without noticing that the exact boy he’s thinking about is stealing glances and giggles his way.

 

It's not like Jisung is doing it because he has this deep urge within himself to get closer to Chenle, or something. Jisung just wants to be f-friends with Chenle because the shorter boy had mentioned earlier that he didn't have many friends and honestly, it had surprised Jisung because he thinks that despite the short time span that he's spent with him, Chenle is too amazing to _not_ have any friends. 

 

He deems the reason that Chenle may not have many friends is that he's new to the area and hasn't had time to adjust. It gives Jisung all the more reason to want to be his friend. 

 

After everyone says their farewells to burrito and fluffy, Mark deems it time to bring Jisung back home.

 

“Wait why?” Jisung asks, his shoulders drooping in slight exasperating and searching Mark’s face for an explanation.

 

“Your curfew is really soon, sungie “ Mark explains, showing him the time on his watch and making Jisung’s eyes nearly pop out of his skull. He didn’t realize time had passed by so quickly. Last time he had checked, it had only been a little past noon but now, it’s dangerously close to his dinner time. He really needs to get back home before his mom gets upset. 

 

“Bye Jisung-ah” Jaemin is the first to latch onto him, giving the boy a hug so tight and bone-crushing that Jisung swears he’s seeing stars by the time Jaemin lets him go with a loud and wet smooch on the cheek. The taller boy wrinkles his nose in annoyance as he uses the sleeves of his long sleeve to wipe away the saliva on his abused cheek. Jaemin doesn't so much as bat an eyelash. 

 

The rest of his friends also start bidding him good-bye, patting his head in adoration and pinching his cheeks quite viciously. By the time they've gotten their fill on stretching his cheeks past their limit, he feels like he can't so much as smile without wincing in pain. It's not anything new and Jisung knows this won't be the last time they'll be doing it either. 

 

He makes sure to get his point across that he does **not** enjoy having his cheeks pulled so harshly, glaring at each and every one of his older friends that disregard his stink eye in return. 

 

His annoyance soon melts away because before he knows it, he finds himself alone with Chenle, well, if alone meant everyone but Chenle and Jisung lounging on the vintage couch and shamelessly watching the two boys, everyone but Mark anyway. He had gone off to put the exercise pen and other rabbit necessities in his car. Jisung already has his bunnies nestled in their sling carrier and dozing off comfortably. 

 

He rocks back and forth on the back of his heels, clammy palms hanging onto the shoulder strap of his sling carrier as if clinging to his last semblance of clarity. He blinks rapidly and he feels his mouth go dry. The temperature in the room seems to have skyrocketed just like his heartbeat and he absolutely despises how difficult it can be to just speak his mind and grasp at some liquid courage. 

 

Fortunately for him, Chenle seems to already know Jisung needs a moment, as usual. The smaller boy looks around the room, his smile slowly growing until the little not-dimple forms above his cheek and makes Jisung blank the moment he's met with those brighter-than-the-sun eyes. 

 

"Hey Jisung, before you go, do you wanna like, go get some hot chocolate?" Chenle asks, voice unusually quiet, managing to throw Jisung in for a loop. He still can't get over the fact that Chenle, or rather, his voice, has so many layers to it. Despite his short time with the shorter boy, Jisung can already tell that Chenle's vocal range is something that's not meant to be taken lightly. 

 

Also, he doesn't miss the way his heart leaps because he loves hot chocolate and all he literally needs to say is yes, because _yes_ , he wants more than anything to get some hot chocolate with Chenle. Sadly, his curfew and more specifically, the repercussions of getting home late, weighs heavily on his mind. 

 

"I uh, have to go home" Jisung's mind supplies, making him facepalm himself mentally. There goes his one and only chance at sounding coherent, not to mention keeping the mutual with Chenle. There were so many different ways he could have worded himself better, so many ways of explaining to Chenle that Jisung has a curfew. 

 

He hears a snicker come from somewhere, only fueling the insufferable heat spreading across his face.

 

Chenle's face falls, gentle smile casting downwards and shoulders drooping. Jisung feels like he deserves an award for being the biggest coward and jerk of all time. He feels his heart plummet as if he's free falling from a tall building. He blindly grasps at straws, trying to make things right before they go past fixable. 

 

"B-but!" Jisung blurts out, mind scrambling to think of anything that will brighten Chenle up again. The brown-haired boy perks up almost immediately, eyes glimmering with something akin to hopefulness that makes the taller of the two delve a little deeper into his grasp.  

 

Jisung breathes in slowly, making sure to inhale deeply and hold onto his quickly vanishing determination. 

 

"But...what?" Chenle asks, eyes widening in curiosity as he leans ever so closer to Jisung, patiently waiting for Jisung to spit it out. 

 

"CanIHaveYourNumberSoThatWeCanGoGetSomeHotChocolateTomorrow?" Jisung makes sure to breathe after he's nearly busted his lungs saying all of that, whatever _that_ mess was anyway. He forces himself to keep looking at Chenle, his grip on his carrier becoming tight to the point of being painful and heart feeling like it's about to burst. 

 

He takes in Chenle's expression, at how the smaller boy shows that he's clearly trying to make out whatever just came out of Jisung until his expression brightens once more.

 

"Oh is this a game? Ok, wait!" Chenle is smiling once more and Jisung thinks the heavens must have aligned for him to be able to witness the boy in front of him smile so brightly. He watches as the brown-haired boy takes in a visibly deep breath, chubby cheeks becoming fuller and chest puffing up. 

 

"YesYouCanHaveMyNumber" Chenle chants out, breaking out into a laugh once he meets eyes with Jisung. The taller boy also can't help the wide grin that breaks out across his face, eyes, and nose scrunching up. He feels his death grip on his shoulder strap loosen almost immediately and his body relax. He doesn't remember even tensing up, too busy worrying about Chenle's answer to even notice. 

 

"How did you say all of that though? I only said a few words but I'm so out of breath" Chenle says in between his laughter, eyes disappearing into slits and hands struggling to bring out his phone, which, to Jisung, looks like a plus size in his hands although he's pretty sure they have the exact same model. 

 

"I honestly don't know" Jisung helplessly shrugs, shaking his hands in order to get rid of their shakiness before taking a hold of Chenle's phone. His assumption is verified when he duly notes that Chenle and him do have the same phone, down to the exact same size and model.

 

In the words of his senior friend Yukhei that's in his dance club, Jisung would say that Chenle has baby hands. Jisung doesn't know why he finds such a tiny detail so endearing but he does and it drives him crazy that he's paying attention to literally the little things about Chenle. 

 

He slowly enters his number, making sure to take his time in order to not get his number wrong like he's done so many other times with other people. He ponders on whether to put something next to his contact name, wondering if Chenle would mind but he decides against putting an emoji, leaving his contact name as just  _Jisung Pwark_. He thinks that he's neither witty or funny enough to put an emoji that would suit him well enough. 

 

Chenle catches onto Jisung's contact name mere seconds after the taller boy hands him his phone back, bursting into a fit of high pitched laughter that Jisung had long since adjusted to and elbows him playfully. Jisung is secretly glad he chose to not put an emoji next to his name. 

 

As Chenle's laughter dies, Jisung can't find it within himself to speak up, jumbled thoughts unable to form basic words so he kind of just, stares at Chenle. He stares at the way Chenle's eyes don't form moon crescents like Jeno's eyes do when he laughs. He thinks Jeno's infamous eye smile doesn't hold a candle to the way Chenle's eyes form two nearly perfect straight lines. 

 

He realizes the brown-haired boy has been staring straight back at him, cheeks a rosy pink and eyes twinkling. Jisung feels his breath catch in his throat and he suddenly finds it hard to look away. 

 

There's a certain something in the air, not love, but something that has Jisung on his very toes and mind reeling. 

 

He knows he sucks at this _making friends_ sort of stuff and that he's not the sort of person that sings kumbayah period but Jisung thinks that it doesn't matter to the brown-haired boy right across from him, giving him a look that comforts him rather than puts him on edge, kind of like laying a layer of warmth over his brittle nerves. 

 

This, whatever _this_ is between him and Chenle, can't be figured out by subjecting himself to countless of hours practicing some new and old choreographies. These are unknown and foreign emotions that dig deep under his skin and make sure to remind him they exist and won't be taken lightly. 

 

He watches as Chenle opens his mouth, small hands retreating into the safety of his sweater paws and eyes outshining a galaxy of stars, ready to say something and Jisung is ready to reciprocate properly this time because he feels how little he has to fear. His entire being focuses on Chenle, becoming hyperaware of every single detail about him, like how Chenle looks back at him with twice as much attention. 

 

Jisung takes in a deep breath, fingers twitching and little voice in the back of his mind telling him to take a step forward. Words and thoughts often mean nothing if unfollowed by action, and sometimes, even if it makes Jisung feel like his fragile heart is going to rip in two, he tries his best to be brave. 

 

So he does take the step forward, placing one uncertain foot in front of the other and looking deeply at Chenle, quietly asking him if it's okay that Jisung took the first step towards the unknown. 

 

By the look on Chenle's widened eyes and slightly agape mouth, it reassures Jisung that it's more than okay. 

 

Chenle still hasn't said what was on the verge of coming past his slightly chapped lips and Jisung doesn't press. The smaller boy had given Jisung plenty of opportunities beforehand to gather the strength to speak his mind, so Jisung figures the least he could do is give Chenle the same patience and attention. 

 

Faintly, he can see the different emotions flickering through the other's starry eyes, exposing everything to Jisung and letting him know he might not be the only one that's scared of what happens from here. Chenle takes in a visibly deep breath once more, breathing it out twice as slowly and finally deciding to voice his thoughts. 

 

" I think I-"Ok sungie, let's get going before your mom never lets me take you anywhere ever again" Mark exclaims, completely throwing a bucket of cold water at both boys and effectively ruining the moment, judging by the way Jisung's friends groan and throw insults at a very confused Mark's way. 

 

While Mark yells about bullying and his friends yell at Mark for being dumb and ignorant, Jisung turns to look at Chenle once more, silently asking him to continue but the other boy shakes his head in return. Once again, Jisung doesn't press. He knows Chenle can tell him when he's ready and that it takes time to gather the necessary courage to say what one wants. 

 

"I uhm, might not be able to text you right away because I have to help with dinner but I definitely will text you later" Jisung whispers, unable to handle the way his heart beats and how he finds it hard to look away from Chenle now. 

 

Time seems to pass by a little too quickly and Jisung thinks it's because he could look into Chenle's eyes for an eternity. 

 

He thinks that there’s a serene fluidity in which Chenle managed to add himself to Jisung’s unpenetrable life and as Jisung is thinking back to the order of events that led him to meet the smaller boy, Jisung comes to an abrupt realization that if it weren’t for Mark, Jisung would most likely still be in his room, missing out on a very memorable person.

 

He thinks it’s serendipitous in a way and that maybe, maybe Hyuck is right and that Christmas does bring miracles. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> i'm so soft for nct dream. They're all my sons and I wish they could be a fixed unit ;-; SM if you wanna do something right then at least let them have a comeback as ot7 before mark graduates from dream.


End file.
